Stall-side construction.



H. L. FERRIS. STALL SIDE CONSTRUCTION. APPLICATION I ILED MAR. 15, 1912.

Patented Feb. 10, 1914.

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STALL SIDE CONSTRUCTION. APPLICATION P111311 MAB..15,1912.

Patented Feb. 10,1914,

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HENRY L. FER/BIS, 0F HARVARD, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR, TO HUNT, HELM, FERRIS& COMPANY, OF HARVARD, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

STALL-SIDE CONSTRUCTION.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 10,1914.

Application filed March 15, 1912. Serial No. 683.995.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, HENRY L. Fnnn'rs, acitizen of the United States, residing at Harvard, in the county ofMcHenry and State of Illinois, have invented a new and usefulImprovement in Stall Side Construction, of which the following is aspecification.

My invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in astall-side construction, and is fully described and explained in thespecification and shown in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1is a side elevation of my improved construction; Fig. 2 is a section onthe line 2 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a section on the line 3 of Fig. 2; Fig.4 is a section on the line a of Fig. 3; Fig. 5 is a side elevation of amodified form of the construction; and Fig. 6 is a horizontal section onthe line 6 of Fig. 5.

Referring to the drawings, 8 is a member which is part of or mountedadjacent to a stall-end. The present specific form of member 8 is acasting mounted on a vertical post, the casting serving as means forsupporting the stall-ends. However, as far as the present invention isconcerned, this construction is wholly immaterial, the only point beingthat at or near the stall-end there being some member, such as themember 8, to which the end of a chain 9 can be attached.

10 is a post at or near the rear end of the stall to which the oppositeend of the chain 9 is attached. The post 10 is so arranged that it canbe lowered or removed for the purpose of entirely removing thestall-side. Broadly speaking, this is the present invention.

In barns of modern sanitary construction, it is the custom to arrange tobuild a cement floor and to arrange the stalls in long rows. Forcleaning the stalls it is very desirable that all obstructions beremoved and, it may be added, that even when the animals are in thestalls there may be occasions when it is desirable to remove thestall-side after the animal is secured by the stanchion which is, ofcourse, incorporated somewhere in the stall-construction. Threealternative methods of providing for the removal of this post, or itslowering to the floor, are shown. In the form of Figs. 1 to 4 inclusive,a bracket 11 is secured to the floor, the same having upwardly-extendingears 12 between which the post 10 is pivoted. The ears 12 have at theirrear hooks l3, and a loop 141 is-pivoted to the post 10 at its lower endand is adapted. when the post is in vertical position, to en gage thehooks 18 of the ears 12. Thus, by releasing the loop from engagementwith said hooks, the post can be swung down to the position shown indotted lines, so as to entirely clear away the separating partitionbetween two stalls. This post can be raised and will automatically lockitself in a vertical position in an obvious manner. In the form shown inFigs. 5 and 6, another form of bracket indicated by 15 is used. Thisbracket is in general similar to the bracket 11' except that theupwardly-extending ears have no hooks and to take the place of thepost-locking loop and hooks a chain 16 is attached to the top of thepost and is adapted to engage an eye 17 in the floor by means of asnap-hook 18 in an obvious manner and with obvious results.

In barns of modern sanitary construction, it has become the practicerecently to build the floors of concrete for ready cleansing and toconstruct at the rear of the stalls a relatively-deep gutter, such as isshown in the drawings. Such a deep gutter is especially desirablebecause all the droppings and manure fall therein and the remainder ofthe barn can be kept quite clean; and this deep gutter can be cleansedvery readi] y by flushing. Such a gutter is, however, almost.continuously wet and slippery, and the cows in backing out of the stallsare likely to step in the gutter thereby slipping and strainingthemselves. Such injuries do not occur either when there is no gutter,or when the cow has an opportunity to turn around and walk across thegutter. The opportunity to turn before leaving the stall is afforded inthose stalls where no separating partitions are provided, but in suchstalls when one cow lies down the adjacent cows frequently step upon itso as to injure it, the udder of the cow being peculiarly liable toinjuries of this character. Thus it will be seen that the presence ofthe deep gutter renders the cows liable to injury of one character,which it has been heretofore possible to prevent only by laying themopen to injuries of another character. That is, if the injuries due tothe deep gutter are to be prevented, the practice has heretofore been touse no partitions, so that the cows are liable to injury by each other.In the present form of construction, however, the deep gutter is usedand the partitions are made readily removable. The first cow in theseries is milked, the chain forming the adjacent stall is then releasedand the cow walks out sidewise without having to back across the gutter.The next cow is then milked and released in a similar manner, and so on,until all have left the barn, the series of stalls is then laid clearfor easy cleaning and before the cows return all the stall-sides arereplaced in their normal positions and the cows return in the usual way,but in entering the stalls they walk in head first so that the gutter isin clear view and there is no danger of their stepping therein andstraining themselves as when they back out.

I am aware that removable stall-sides have been used in cattle-cars, buttheyhave been used there for a wholly different purpose. Such cars haveno gutters at the rear, nor, in fact, any space behind the positionwhich the cows occupy in which they can pass in and out and thepartitions are made removable, not for the purpose of permitting the cowto avoid passing over the gutter in leaving, but so that the cows mayhave access to the end compartments. There is in the presentconstruction, therefore, a novel interaction between the gutter at therear and the removable partition at the side, the gutter introducing adanger of injury, which the removability of the partition alone removes.

I realize that considerable variation is possible in the constructionhere shown and described, and I do not intend to limit myself to theform here shown, except as pointen out in the claims, as it is myintention to supported adjacent to the rear of the stall adapted to beswung down, a flexible member running therefrom along the side of thestall to the front end thereof, and means for maintaining the post invertical position.

3. In combination a bracket adjacent to the rear of the stall, a postpivoted therein, mutually-engaging loop and hooks on the post andbracket to lock and release the post, and 'a flexible member runningfrom the post to the front of the stall, for the purpose set forth.

a. In a stall construction a post pivoted adjacent to the rear of thestall to be swung downward, and a member extending therefrom to thefront of the stall, for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 11th day of March,1912.

HENRY L. FERRIS.

In the presence of two subscribing witnesses:

D. L. l VAT'rs, R. A. HEMENWAY.

Ceplca of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commisnioner 01' Patents, Washington, D. C.

and desire to secure by

